Early Homer Simpson: potential domestic abuser?

[Redway]

There’s a thread about this on Reddit but I think it fits here just as well, especially on the 36th anniversary of Roasting on an Open Fire (the episode that made debut-transmission). We know Homer Simpson was a much darker character in the beginning, even without the Duff or whatever the Springfield-equivalent of Stella Artois (stereotypically a wife-beaters’ drink, for better or worse); its anger that’s sober, just like the overall tone of season 1. That eeriness and unsettling exaggerations of certain traits across the Ullman-shorts and season 1 compared to the Simpsons we know today is one thing, taking into account the time-context (and The Simpsons’ early seasons/pre.-canonical forms do hinge a lot on context, temporal and otherwise), but how many of you would go as far as to say that some of that early characterisation was supposed to be a predictive portrait? Do you think Homer Simpson was originally intended to totally be that guy who’d lay a finger on Marge or are we trippin. here?

[GoldHeart]

We are talking about the same children's cartoon right?? ,I don't think the writers nor the creator ever intended for Homer to be that .In the early seasons and Ullman shorts ,he was originally just made to be an authority figure who was grumpy ,he was snappy with Marge and especially the kids ,but that was it . There's no other darker tone there,he was never violent.

Homer was based on a 1950's sergeant Major type father figure,so he sounded strict with a deep voice.


But over time the writers , wanted him to act more comical & dopey ,hence the voice actor Dan Castellaneta changing Homer's voice to sound more dim and childish,and of course slobbish.

[Redway]

]We are talking about the same children's cartoon right??[/B] ,I don't think the writers nor the creator ever intended for Homer to be that .In the early seasons and Ullman shorts ,he was originally just made to be an authority figure who was grumpy ,he was snappy with Marge and especially the kids ,but that was it . There's no other darker tone there,he was never violent.

Homer was based on a 1950's sergeant Major type father figure,so he sounded strict with a deep voice.


But over time the writers , wanted him to act more comical & dopey ,hence the voice actor Dan Castellaneta changing Homer's voice to sound more dim and childish,and of course slobbish.

Lol, we are. We are.

[Strictly Jake]

To be fair i havent watched it for over 15 years but i remember he regularly strangled Bart

[GoldHeart]

To be fair i havent watched it for over 15 years but i remember he regularly strangled Bart

Yeah but that was for comedy effect, hardly to be taken seriously lol .

[thesheriff443]

I don’t take cartoons seriously

[Redway]

Yeah but that was for comedy effect, hardly to be taken seriously lol .

I know, but he actually was a much more serious character in the earliest days. That’s what gives his anger a more menacing streak (albeit implicitly). The show hadn’t found its comedic beat in season 1, and that stretches to Marge, who was a lot more downbeat, almost quietly depressed, in the first season. You can hear the strain (not just the usual rasp) in her voice. It’s like a wistfully mournful lachrymose that’s compounded by strain. She doesn’t stand up to Homer at this point, either, which kind of can get you thinking about the dynamics of that marriage in the first place and what the original intention for Homer was before he was softened. The strain in their marriage at that point feels heavy, not comedic. That’s kind of the point of season 1, intentionally or not, before they decided everything had to be within comedic bounds. You wouldn’t necessarily be to know that if you were watching season 1 in live time with nothing but those hideous Ullman-shorts to compare it to. Season 1 seems to operate under a different assumption about what kind of realism the show can tolerate.

[GoldHeart]

I know, but he actually was a much more serious character in the earliest days. That’s what gives his anger a more menacing streak (albeit implicitly). The show hadn’t found its comedic beat in season 1, and that stretches to Marge, who was a lot more downbeat, almost quietly depressed, in the first season. You can hear the strain (not just the usual rasp) in her voice. It’s like a wistfully mournful lachrymose that’s compounded by strain. She doesn’t stand up to Homer at this point, either, which kind of can get you thinking about the dynamics of that marriage in the first place and what the original intention for Homer was before he was softened. The strain in their marriage at that point feels heavy, not comedic. That’s kind of the point of season 1, intentionally or not, before they decided everything had to be within comedic bounds. You wouldn’t necessarily be to know that if you were watching season 1 in live time with nothing but those hideous Ullman-shorts to compare it to. Season 1 seems to operate under a different assumption about what kind of realism the show can tolerate.


Isn't it the pilot when he's losing his temper at Marge ,when he's trying to find the Christmas tree lights ?. And she's writing a letter to her sisters,and she screamed back at him & he apologised instantly as he felt bad for pestering her lol .

That in itself shows he was never supposed to be a complete hard feeling monster surely? Lol.

I think they were just experimenting,even Lisa was different in the shorts and had more of a rough attitude , like a Bart 2.0 .

[Mystic Mock]

I don't believe that was the writers intention when creating the Show imo.

The best Comedy does go a bit dark thematically sometimes, but I don't believe that The Simpsons writing team wants the viewer to see Homer in such a horrible light.

[Redway]

I don't believe that was the writers intention when creating the Show imo.

The best Comedy does go a bit dark thematically sometimes, but I don't believe that The Simpsons writing team wants the viewer to see Homer in such a horrible light.

That’s true, but I guess what I’m referring to is a relic of before Homer was Homer and they were still toying around with his personality and trying to figure out what worked and what didn’t. Without that comedic bounding off, some episodes in that era really do feel like we’re just not capable of knowing what Homer’s capable of, and it feels uncanny. He’s not comedically softened quite as far back as season 1. The animation itself hadn’t learnt to reassure you that there’s no underlying latent sinister vibe running alongside the general eeriness of that season. So wondering about whether there was something there with Homer makes sense in-context. It’s just an uncanny observation. But that’s why later Homer can scream, strangle and rage all he likes and still feel safer than Ullman Homer ever did. Because the show hadn’t yet stripped him of any real power.

[Mystic Mock]

That’s true, but I guess what I’m referring to is a relic of before Homer was Homer and they were still toying around with his personality and trying to figure out what worked and what didn’t. Without that comedic bounding off, some episodes in that era really do feel like we’re just not capable of knowing what Homer’s capable of, and it feels uncanny. He’s not comedically softened quite as far back as season 1.

Tbh it has been a very long time since I saw any of the Season 1 episodes.

So I can't really add much tbh.

[Redway]

Tbh it has been a very long time since I saw any of the Season 1 episodes.

So I can't really add much tbh.

Do you still watch the present show, out of interest? I feel like being a Simpsons fan, like I guess with EastEnders at various points in the last 15 years, has been relegated to more of the niche. It’s not as universal or popular as it was to watch it in 2025 than it was back-then. And I get that, tbh.

[Mystic Mock]

Do you still watch the present show, out of interest? I feel like being a Simpsons fan, like I guess with EastEnders at various points in the last 15 years, has been relegated to more of the niche. It’s not as universal or popular as it was to watch it in 2025 than it was back-then. And I get that, tbh.

Not really.

Tbh I was always more of a Family Guy, American Dad, and South Park kind of guy. I also used to like Futurama too.

The Simpsons was always a Show that I watched more casually for some reason.:laugh:

[Redway]

Not really.

Tbh I was always more of a Family Guy, American Dad, and South Park kind of guy. I also used to like Futurama too.

The Simpsons was always a Show that I watched more casually for some reason.:laugh:

Ah, cool.

I like Family Guy (as my avatar suggests) but I don’t find it GOATed, so I just take each season as it comes, without a definitive golden age to compare it to. I do that with The Simpsons as-well, because it’s still a good show to me, but it just carries a bit more temporal weight because of how revolutionary it used to be. So that’s kind of at the back of my mind whenever I watch it but not too much. Like I say, I still like it for whar it is.

[Redway]

Isn't it the pilot when he's losing his temper at Marge ,when he's trying to find the Christmas tree lights ?. And she's writing a letter to her sisters,and she screamed back at him & he apologised instantly as he felt bad for pestering her lol .

That in itself shows he was never supposed to be a complete hard feeling monster surely? Lol.

I think they were just experimenting,even Lisa was different in the shorts and had more of a rough attitude , like a Bart 2.0 .

Ugh. Yes. Ullman-Lisa was hideous. Even by the first episode of season 1 she’s no-longer grotesque and she’s a bit smarter, a bit more sensitive and so-on but Moaning Lisa is her biggest lock-in. And what a great episode it was.

[Mystic Mock]

Ah, cool.

I like Family Guy (as my avatar suggests) but I don’t find it GOATed, so I just take each season as it comes, without a definitive golden age to compare it to. I do that with The Simpsons as-well, because it’s still a good show to me, but it just carries a bit more temporal weight because of how revolutionary it used to be. So that’s kind of at the back of my mind whenever I watch it but not too much. Like I say, I still like it for whar it is.

Oh the Animated Shows like Family Guy do tend to range in quality from Season to Season, rather than a "golden period" that most other types of Shows have imo.

[GoldHeart]

Ugh. Yes. Ullman-Lisa was hideous. Even by the first episode of season 1 she’s no-longer grotesque and she’s a bit smarter, a bit more sensitive and so-on but Moaning Lisa is her biggest lock-in. And what a great episode it was.

Yeah pilot ep Lisa wanted a pony for Christmas ....aww bless her . Whereas typical Bart wanted a tattoo of all things lol .

[Nicky91]

the voice of Mr Burns, i always find similar to that song ''Baker Street'' by Gerry Rafferty


idk if more people think like that :joker:

[Livia]

To be fair i havent watched it for over 15 years but i remember he regularly strangled Bart

He deserved it though, he's a little *******.

[Redway]

https://youtu.be/0rxZ9T-3K3Q?si=oXBwGHSAricfMu7v

Love, love and love. Underrated episode that’s arguably one of the most pivotal episodes in the show’s history. Homer and Bart give the show chaos and prankster-surfs alike, Marge gives it stability and Lisa gives it meaning. And this is the episode where Lisa fully locks in and commits to being more than just the precocious kid at-most. And I relate to her (albeit with not quite as much formatively-bound alienation).